Category Archives: sales and marketing

We are excited to be adding new members to our management team and, with the added leadership, we are expanding to more locations. We would like to give some recognition to the team members that have worked hard for their promotions.

Congratulations Oliniyi on your promotion to Assistant Manager!Great Job Okletey on taking on the expansion of a new location in New Mexico!Congratulations Tiffany and Armand on your upcoming promotions to Management and leading the expansion to two new locations.

We are excited to see these expansions close to double the size of the organization. Great job to a hard working team. Keep up the good work.

It takes great leadership to build great teams. Leaders who are not afraid to course correct, make the difficult decisions and establish standards of performance that are constantly being met – and improving at all times. Whether in the workplace, professional sports, or your local community, team building requires a keen understanding of people, their strengths and what gets them excited to work with others. Team building requires the management of egos and their constant demands for attention and recognition – not always warranted. Team building is both an art and a science and the leader who can consistently build high performance teams is worth their weight in gold.

History has shown us that it takes a special kind of leader with unique competencies and skills to successfully build great companies and teams. In the sports world, the late John Wooden set the standard for great coaches, leading UCLA to 10 NCAA national basketball championships in a 12-year period — seven in a row. His success was so iconic, Wooden created his own “Pyramid for Success” to help others excel through his proven wisdom. In the business world, we can look to Jack Welsh, who was the Chairman and CEO of General Electric between 1981 and 2001. According to Wikipedia, the company’s value rose 4000% during his tenure. In 2006 Welch’s net worth was estimated at $720 million and in 2009, he launched the Jack Welsh Management Institute at Strayer University.

Building companies requires the know-how to build long-lasting teams. This is why most managers never become leaders and why most leaders never reach the highest pinnacle of leadership success. It requires the ability to master the “art of people” and knowing how to maneuver hundreds (if not thousands) of people at the right place and at the right time. It means knowing how each person thinks and how to best utilize their competencies rightly at all times. It’s playing a continuous chess match – knowing that every wrong move that is made can cost the company hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars (just ask BP and Enron).

As you evaluate the sustainability of the team(s) you lead and its real impact on the organization you serve, here are six ways successful teams are built to last:

1. Be Aware of How You Work

As the leader of the team, you must be extremely aware of your leadership style and techniques. Are they as effective as you think? How well are they accepted by the team you are attempting to lead? Evaluate yourself and be critical about where you can improve, especially in areas that will benefit those whom you are a leading.

Though you may be in-charge, how you work may not be appreciated by those who work for you. You may have good intentions, but make sure you hold yourself accountable to course-correct and modify your approach if necessary to assure that you’re leading from a position of strength and respectability.

Be your own boss. Be flexible. Know who you are as a leader.

2. Get to Know the Rest of the Team

Much like you need to hold yourself accountable for your actions to assure you maximize performance and results, you must make the time to get to know your team and encourage camaraderie. In my “emotional intelligence blog,” I discuss the importance of caring, understanding the needs of your team and embracing differences and helping your colleagues experience their significance. In this case, gathering intelligence means learning what defines the strengths and capabilities of your team – the real assets that each member brings to the table, those they leave behind and those yet to be developed.

All great leaders know exactly what buttons to push and when to push them. They are experts at activating the talent that surrounds them. They are equally as effective at matching unique areas of subject matter expertise and / or competencies to solve problems and seek new solutions.

Fully knowing your team means that you have invested the time to understand how they are wired to think and what is required to motivate them to excel beyond what is expected from them.

Think of your team as puzzle pieces that can be placed together in a variety of ways.

Each of your team member’s responsibilities must be interconnected and dependent upon one another. This is not unlike team sports, where some players are known as “system players” – meaning that, although they may not be the most talented person on the team, they know how to work best within the “system.” This is why you must have a keen eye for talent that can evaluate people not only on their ability to play a particular role – but even more so on whether they fit the workplace culture (the system) and will be a team player.

For example, I once inherited an employee who wasn’t very good at his specific job. Instead of firing him, I took the time to get to know him and utilized his natural talents as a strategic facilitator who could keep all of the moving parts within the department in proper alignment and in lock-step communication. This person helped our team operate more efficiently and saved the company money by avoiding the bad decisions they previously made because of miscommunications. He was eventually promoted into a special projects manager role.

A team should operate as a mosaic whose unique strengths and differences convert into a powerful united force.

4. Be Proactive with Feedback

Feedback is the key to assuring any team is staying on track, but more importantly that it is improving each day. Feedback should be proactive and constant. Many leaders are prone to wait until a problem occurs before they give feedback.

Feedback is simply the art of great communication. It should be something that is part of one’s natural dialogue. Feedback can be both formal and informal. In fact, if it becomes too structured and stiff, it becomes difficult for the feedback to be authentic and impactful.

Remember that every team is different, with its own unique nuances and dynamics. Treat them as such. No cookie-cutter approach is allowed. Allow proactive feedback to serve as your team’s greatest enabler for continuous improvement.

Take the time to remind someone of how and what they can be doing better. Learn from them. Don’t complicate the process of constructive feedback. Feedback is two-way communication.

5. Acknowledge and Reward

With proactive feedback comes acknowledgement and reward. People love recognition, but are most appreciative of respect. Take the time to give your teammates the proper accolades they have earned and deserve. I have seen too many leaders take performance for granted because they don’t believe that one should be rewarded for “doing their job.”

At a time when people want to feel as if they are making a difference, be a thoughtful leader and reassure your team that you are paying attention to their efforts. Being genuine in your recognition and respect goes a long way towards building loyalty and trust. It organically ignites extra effort!

When people are acknowledged, their work brings them greater satisfaction and becomes more purposeful.

6. Always Celebrate Success

At a time when uncertainty is being dealt with each day, you must take the time to celebrate success. This goes beyond acknowledgment – this is about taking a step-back and reflecting on what you have accomplished and what you have learned throughout the journey.

In today’s fast-paced, rapidly changing world of work, people are not taking enough time to understand why they were successful and how their success reverberated and positively impacted those around them. I have seen leaders fall into the trap of self-aggrandizement – because of what their teams accomplished – rather than celebrating the success stories that in many cases required tremendous effort, sacrifice and perseverance.

Celebration is a short-lived activity. Don’t ignore it. Take the time to live in the moment and remember what allowed you to cross the finish line.

Leaders are only as successful as their teams and the great ones know that with the right team dynamics, decisions and diverse personalities, everyone wins in the end.

212 Inc., a Massachusetts based sales and marketing firm, traveled to Miami and participated in a charity event for Operation Smile.

212 Inc., a sales and marketing firm based out of Wellesley, MA, traveled to Miami for a national client hosted conference.The weekend is an annual event geared around rewarding the country’s client vendors.In addition to dinners, a talent show, free jet ski rides and awards ceremony, there was a charity dodgeball tournament to raise money for Operation Smile.

212, Inc. is a premier outsourced sales and marketing firm in the greater Boston area.As a privately owned and operated firm, 212 is dedicated to providing opportunity to Fortune 50 clients as well as every associate.

One of the main clients at 212 is the nation’s leading provider in the telecommunications industry.The client provides bundled Internet access, telephone, and television services.212’s focus is to acquire and retain account holders for the fiber-optic communications division of the company.

212 is hired because its clients look for “an edge” in advertising.212, Inc. helps fill the gap between client and customer that advertising leaves.212 achieves its results by conducting live presentations one on one with client account holders.

Operation Smile, a non-profit organization founded in 1982, is an international charity for children.The organization is a mobilized group of doctors and nurses who provide reconstructive surgery for children born with facial deformities such as cleft lip and cleft palate.

Since inception, Operation Smile has created a presence in over 60 countries and has helped more than 2 million people with evaluations as well as conducted over 200,000 free surgeries.

The dodgeball tournament involved several teams of 6 competing in a best out of three bracket style competition.Each team paid an entry fee of $100 to play.One hundred percent of the donated entry fees went to Operation Smile.

“It is always exciting to give back.Operation Smile is such an inspiring organization of extremely selfless people.I am glad we were able to be a part of the event and I look forward to continuing to work with Operation Smile in the future,” explains Andrea Atkinson, President of 212, Inc.

The event helped raise $3600 and the winning team got the honor of presenting the total donations in their name.212, Inc. has also volunteered with the Salvation Army’s Adopt A Family program and will continue its philanthropic work in the months to come.

After falling off the performance roadmap for a few years, Tiger Woods has recently re-established himself as one of the top players in the world. Not only is Tiger positioned to make history and become known as the greatest golfer of all time, but it also appears he is leading others to improve their game, as well. Here are 5 things business leaders can learn from Tiger:

1. Face Pressure Head On

When recently asked about how much pressure he was under for an upcoming Major, Tiger responded by saying, “The same. The same pressure as any other tournament, and the same pressure every other player faces.” Pressure is self-imposed and can serve as quite a distraction if not dealt with properly. The most effective method for working through pressure is to acknowledge that the stakes are high and then move on. Force yourself to focus on what you can control, rather than allowing your mind to fixate on what could go wrong or on what the competition is doing. Jim Weddle, Managing Partner of Edward Jones, knows all too well about dealing with pressure. In 2011, in the face of a tough economic climate in which most brokerage firms struggled to survive, Weddle lead the company to one of its most successful years in the firm’s history. Weddle exemplified an unwavering focus on working with long-term individual investors and emphasizing quality rather than allowing his mind to waver on the uncertainty of the market. If you find yourself focusing on the potential obstacles to your success, commit to replacing those thoughts within 60 seconds with an idea for one thing you can do to put yourself in the best possible position to move forward.

2. Learn to Give Credit Where Credit is Due

Self-confidence is the number one variable for positively impacting performance in the entire field of sport psychology. This principle extends to the business world, as well. Tiger is often heard giving himself credit for his “strong iron play” or having his “focus on-target.” Learning to give oneself credit is an extremely effective method of increasing self-confidence and, hence, improving the likelihood for strong future performances. Get in the habit of writing down at least three successes at the end of each day. Doing so will have a compounding effect on self-confidence, thus allowing you to bounce back from tough times more quickly.

3. Emphasize Preparation

Prior to his dreadful Thanksgiving disaster, Tiger was definitely the hardest working and the most prepared player on the tour. I was lucky enough to have access to his training plan, as well as that of 4 other tour players with whom I was working. Tiger was out-preparing 3 of the 4 players by more than 30%, and the forth he was outdoing by a whopping 50%. After working through some personal distraction, Tiger is back on track with his mental and physical preparation. George Paz, CEO of the “mega-pharm” company, Express Scripts, lead his team to unprecedented market cap growth by emphasizing industriousness. In an interview discussing the changes within the company, Paz referred to his task of ensuring that the quality of the level of service provided to clients remains strong as “my 8-to-5 job.” He went on to say, “My 5-to-8 job is what’s the next move?” Work ethic and preparation will go a long way at determining the final score on the scoreboard. It is a fairly straightforward equation: if the work ethic is consistently there, the results are sure to follow. Are you outworking your competition?

4. Believe

When Tiger was recently asked if he was surprised at his reemerging dominance, he simply answered, “No. Next question.” An old saying in sport states: “Positive thinking doesn’t always work…negative thinking does.” When you believe in yourself, you significantly increase your ability to achieve greatness. Easier said than done, yet replacing negative and self-doubting thoughts with affirmative thoughts will have a significant impact on your success. Consider adopting a mental training program to train your brain toward positive thinking.

5. Be Accountable without Deprecation

Tiger has learned to be accountable for mistakes without internalizing failures. Take for example his comment about losing a late lead in the US Open: “I had the lead, and I lost it. I’m not happy about it, but it happens.” Great athletes and leaders alike have a tendency to beat themselves up when they fall short of expectations. Individuals who spend too much time punishing themselves for shortcomings become poised for lowered self-confidence and emotional unrest. Jack Welch, the former CEO of G.E., has been famously quoted stating: “I’ve learned that mistakes can often be as a good a teacher as success.” Welch has used the solutions generated from his mistakes to put himself in a better position than when he started. Learn to own failures without making excuses, and then quickly begin focusing on solutions to increase the probability for improvement. There is no need or benefit in stewing about your shortcomings, so stop doing it.

Tiger Woods is an inspiring example of leadership and dominance in sport, and some of the principles of mental toughness he displays are also found in the most successful business leaders in the world. He has not always been on top, yet his relentless drive serves as a mold for success. Realistically, business leaders are not always going to experience success, and high times are going to be tempered with seemingly brick walls to climb. How these difficulties are handled separates the leaders from the ones who fall behind. Developing a plan to deal with pressure and keep confidence high, while consistently working hard will go a long way at putting you on the leader board in golf, business and life.

With a little British pomp and a lot of British pop, London brought the curtain down on a glorious Olympic Games to a close. However, it was some of the great athletes at those games more than the pomp and the pop that really made a lasting impression on everyone by doing things out of the ordinary.

Many of us were inspired by each story that was covered, and impressed by athletes who overcame incredible odds to make it to the games. No matter what industry you are in, there are valuable lessons from the Olympics that we can apply to our businesses.

For example, when Usain Bolt crossed the finish line during his 200-meter final, he made one simple gesture. He didn’t point to the sky. He didn’t raise his hands in the air. Bolt merely held up his finger to his lips, making a gesture of silence to his opposition. He’d reached a new pinnacle in his career and his first reaction was to silence those who thought he’d never make it.

Although Usain Bolt could be seen as arrogant and full of himself, his actual performance matched his level of self- confidence. As a result, he is now become a legend.

Just as Bolt excels in sprinting, there are champions in every profession and business. It’s the difference between one who simply gets the job done vs. someone who gets the job done incredibly well, makes a lasting impression and also a big difference to the final outcome.

While there are dozens of things leaders can learn from the Olympics, the following lessons can help to strengthen our organisations.

Lessons

Leadership research says that learning agility is the largest predictor of long-term success. Great athletes are great learners. Learning and improvement are often about the small and simple things, great sprinters are very analytical about all kinds of little things – their start, stride, footwear, clothing, etc. Learning ideas become shared over time. Learning can be defined as the ability to generate and generalize ideas.

Once a sprinter has innovated something new, then those ideas will likely to be transferred to others. Leaders learn by both doing new things and by learning from others. Then some ability to success is learnable, some are inherent.

The best sprinters in the world have great abilities to learn, but they also have natural ability. Therefore, it is important to position people in jobs where their talents are more applicable and relevant to the role.

Sense of pride

The spirit of the Olympics brings out the best in most of the athletes. Many of those great athletes are so committed to their craft that they invest more than 10,000s of hours in improving their skill, confidence and also to make the most of their own potential. Success therefore is talent plus preparation and it seems the bigger the role preparation plays over talent in the final outcome.

Also, many of the successful athletes while they feel a sense of pride in the sport, they also have a huge sense of pride in representing their country.

Likewise, companies need to invest time and resources to create that sense of pride within their organisations, to ensure that their employees do their best work for the company and also to help their employees to realize their full potential.

Congratulations to Rachelle and Kyle for being awarded with a trip to San Francisco for a leadership conference this month. You have done a great job and we are excited to send you to the West Coast for additional career training. Can’t wait to see what you bring back. Have fun and great job!

Congratulations Rachelle on your newest promotion. We are excited to see how quickly you have grown with the company, We are looking forward to what you do in with your new responsibilities! Keep up the great work.

Great job Derek and Keith for receiving national recognition for your outstanding performance last week with our Fortune 500 client. Keep up the great work!

212, Inc., a New England based sales and marketing firm, is celebrating five years of successful business. Over the years the company has expanded to over five times its founding size and expects to continue its growth in the months and years to come.

212, Inc. originally opened its doors in February 2007. Now located in Wellesley, MA, the company has expanded to multiple locations from coast to coast from Rhode Island to California. The company is a premier outsourced sales and marketing firm covering the greater Boston area. As a privately owned and operated firm, 212 focuses on increasing market-share and retaining clients for Fortune 500 clients.

One of the main clients at 212 is the nation’s leading provider in the telecommunications industry. The client provides bundled Internet access, telephone, and television services. 212’s focus is to acquire and retain account holders for the fiber-optic communications division of the company.

Over the past five years, 212 has experienced a growth increase of over 500%. In this time, the company has promoted five new members to its executive leadership team. These additions have given 212 the ability to expand into 5 new market-shares and take on new clients from coast to coast. Throughout this time, 212 has received several recognitions for outstanding national performance.

I am excited to see how the team here has evolved over the last five years. Over the years, it is exciting to see the company continue to grow,” explains Andrea Atkinson, President of 212. “I am most excited about seeing the individuals grow as the company grows. We have seen several of our executives grow in their careers from the ground up and I am proud to see them get the promotions they have worked so hard to deserve.”

212, Inc. expects to continue this growth over the next few months and plans to expand to more locations by the end of the year.

I had the honor and pleasure of sitting down with Josh Zywien of Open View Labs to talk about how introverts can be exceptional in entrepreneurial leadership roles, an area of importance to Open View as they aim to help entrepreneurs build great companies. This interview originally ran in the Open View Labs blog, and I wanted to share it here with all of you. Enjoy!

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When it comes to introverts, there’s a common misconception that they lack the necessary qualities to be effective leaders. It’s a perception that leadership strategist and entrepreneur Lisa Petrilli disagrees with and, as a self-described introvert and a highly successful entrepreneur, it’s one she can legitimately disprove.

But being introverted isn’t about being shy or team averse, says Petrilli, who founded executive consulting firm C-Level Strategies in 2010 and authored The Introvert’s Guide to Success in Business and Leadership last year. Instead, it’s simply about drawing energy and creative juices from a different place.

While extroverts are at their best in more populated, bustling surroundings, introverts thrive in smaller group — and, yes, sometimes singular — settings and draw their energy from their inner world. Neither preference is wrong or better than the other, Petrilli explains, and both types of personalities can produce excellent leaders.

Petrilli recently sat down for a brief conversation with OpenView to discuss her experience as a successful introverted CEO, the roadblocks she faced along the way, and why she thinks possessing and communicating vision is the true foundation of great leaders.

As an introvert, did you find the leadership component of being an entrepreneur difficult early in your career?

Absolutely. In a business environment, you can’t escape the outer world that extroverts prefer. You have to exist and interact there if you want to be successful. For an extrovert, it’s an energizing experience to participate in larger groups and lead large teams. An introvert can be very successful in that world, but we don’t like to spend the preponderance of our time there.

Ultimately, leaders at companies of all sizes need to spend time every day getting out of their comfort zone if they want to be successful. I’m not suggesting that introverts have to become extroverts, but it’s important to get out of your office, motivate your team, and talk to the world about your company. If you’re the CEO of a growing company, those situations are unavoidable, and if you don’t embrace them at some point you’ll hit a career ceiling.

The good news, though, is that once you’ve done that, I absolutely think it’s important for introverts to return to their sanctums and explore their inner world of ideas. It’s really about striking a balance between your introverted preferences and the extroverted demands of corporate leadership.

What makes introverts particularly strong leaders in the startup and expansion stage phases?

I think introverts excel at creating and setting a vision for their company or product. Many people assume that the majority of CEOs — because they’re the figureheads of their companies — are extroverts. In my experience, that has not been the case.

Introverts — like a lot of entrepreneurs — tend to be creatively minded people who work well in innovative environments that allow them to dream up fantastic products and features. Early on, those people are great leaders because they’re comfortable communicating that vision to their small teams.

You talk a lot about the concept of “visionary leadership.” How exactly do you define it and how does it differ from other leadership styles?

I’m not sure that visionary leadership is a “style” as much as it is a foundation for great leadership. Ultimately, CEOs at the startup and enterprise levels need to know where they want to take their organizations. Executives may have a tendency to brush aside the idea of vision and turn it into a stock exercise that they execute with their team once a year.

That’s a big mistake. Your vision should be the framework of your business. It gets to the core of what you do, where you want the company to go, and what your market’s going to look like when you get there. Ultimately, a company’s leader needs to illuminate that path. If you look at Steve Jobs, he certainly did that with Apple. Steve Jobs was well known as a visionary and he created, communicated, and stuck with a very specific vision.

In the end, vision is about asking yourself how your business is going to make its customers more successful. When you think about your company as a medium for improving its customers’ lives, it can be hugely inspirational for you and your employees. Without that vision, your business will likely lack the internal fire that truly fuels long-term success.

What one piece of advice would you give early-stage CEOs — particularly introverted ones — about creating and communicating that vision to their teams?

I think the easiest way to summarize everything we’ve discussed is to say that what you bring to the table needs to be uniquely you. Whether we’re talking about leadership styles, personalities, or products, it’s critical to understand your strengths, embrace them, and deliver them in a way that is genuine and impactful.

Everyone assumes that innovation is about creating groundbreaking technology or that leadership is about being this boisterous personality, and neither is necessarily true. Ultimately, innovation and leadership are about being more of who you’re meant to be and less of who you’re not. If you can figure that out and clearly convey your passion, then you’ll empower your employees, investors, and customers to follow you.

Are you more like Howard Schultz of Starbucks, the billionaire investor Warren Buffett, Richard Branson of Virgin, or Tony Hsieh of Zappos? Knowing the answer could help you become more successful in running your business.

Three business leaders — Tony Tjan, Dick Harrington, and Tsun-yan Hsieh — wrote a book together called Heart, Smarts, Guts and Luck (Harvard Business Review Press, 2012) after interviewing and researching business leaders from young, upstart entrepreneurs to experienced CEOs. They identified four character traits that define a business leaders’ decision-making process. If you know what your dominant characteristic is and you are aware of how you make decisions, you will be more likely to make smart ones, the authors contend.

“Self-awareness is not a soft organizational behavior concept to be dismissed. Rather it is the concrete foundation for improving your leadership and business-building capability,” writes Tjan in the introduction to the book. “It is about intellectual honesty.”

1. Heart. Howard Schultz of Starbucks. Hearts-dominated leaders are the passionate, big-picture, founding visionaries that may not necessarily have a rational, research-based business plan, but are fiercely committed to seeing their goal through.

3. Guts. Richard Branson of Virgin. Guts-dominated leaders actively seek out uncertain business ventures with the possibility for high reward (risk takers) or are capable at managing situations laden with heavy consequence (risk-tolerant).

4. Luck. Tony Hsieh of Zappos. While almost every successful business venture owes some portion of its success to a lucky break, the luck-dominant business leaders strategically put themselves in the right place to increase their opportunity to being exposed to lucky chances and they have the open outlook in life to be able to take advantage of a bit of luck whispering at the door.

212, Inc. traveled to Atlanta this weekend for a national client conference. At the conference, 212, Inc. was recognized as one of the top performing offices of 2012. 212, Inc. was acknowledged for having had such successful growth over the past year.

“I am excited and proud of this promotion,” says Alex Navarrett, Assistant Manager, 212, Inc.. “I am thrilled to see what other milestones my team and I can reach together.

Alex Navarette began with 212, Inc., September of 2009 as an intern in sales and marketing. As a student at Johnson and Wales University, he began the position at 212 as part of his co-op curriculum. After four months of working part time as an intern, Navarette completed his co-op and received his Bachelor’s degree in Marketing.

In Februaury of 2010, Alex began working full-time at 212 as an Account Manager for the company’s largest client. Five months later Alex received his promotion and is now in charge of a team that produces over thirty percent of the company’s total revenue.

“Alex is a great example of work ethic and high goal setting,” says Andrea Atkinson, President 212, Inc. “He deserves this promotion and has set the record for the individual to receive this promotion in the shortest amount of time.”

“I am excited and proud of this promotion,” says Alex Navarrette, Assistant Manager, 212, Inc.. “I am thrilled to see what other milestones my team and I can reach together.

Alex Navarette began with 212, Inc., September of 2009 as an intern in sales and marketing. As a student at Johnson and Wales University, he began the position at 212 as part of his co-op curriculum. After four months of working part time as an intern, Navarette completed his co-op and received his Bachelor’s degree in Marketing.

In Februaury of 2010, Alex began working full-time at 212 as an Account Manager for the company’s largest client. Five months later Alex received his promotion and is now in charge of a team that produces over thirty percent of the company’s total revenue.

“Alex is a great example of work ethic and high goal setting,” says Andrea Atkinson, President 212, Inc. “He deserves this promotion and has set the record for the individual to receive this promotion in the shortest amount of time.”

212 Inc. Raises Money and Awareness for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
A Providence-based sales and marketing company participates in the Great Strides Walk in support of Cystic Fibrosis

Riverside, RI (PRWEB) June 15, 2010 — 212, Inc., a Providence-based sales and marketing company, announced that the company raised and donated money to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the leading organization in the United States devoted to cystic fibrosis.

President Andrea Atkinson and the 212 Inc. team got family, friends, and business partners to donate money in their effort to raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The team concluded their fundraising efforts by participating in the 5K Great Strides Walk, an event where tens of thousands of co-workers, friends and family come together each year as one community for one cause – to help find a cure for Cystic Fibrosis.
“Our main goal was to raise awareness,” said President Andrea Atkinson. “Collecting donations and walking for the cause did just that!”

The 212 Inc. team had participated in a walk for multiple sclerosis in April. It went so well that they decided to donate their time and participate in another charitable organization event.

“I wanted to personally get involved with Great Strides since I have a loved one with Cystic Fibrosis,” Andrea Atkinson said. “I was so excited that the team was just as enthusiastic to help!”

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About 212 Inc.
212 Inc. is a direct marketing and sales agency focused on meeting the needs of the Fortune 500 community. For more information, contact (401) 272-2600

212, Inc. Raises Money and Awareness for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
A sales and marketing company participates in the Great Strides Walk in support of Cystic Fibrosis

Riverside, RI (PRWEB) June 15, 2010 — 212, Inc., a sales and marketing company, announced that the company raised and donated money to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the leading organization in the United States devoted to cystic fibrosis.

President Andrea Atkinson and the 212 Inc. team got family, friends, and business partners to donate money in their effort to raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The team concluded their fundraising efforts by participating in the 5K Great Strides Walk, an event where tens of thousands of co-workers, friends and family come together each year as one community for one cause – to help find a cure for Cystic Fibrosis.

Our main goal was to raise awareness
“Our main goal was to raise awareness,” said President Andrea Atkinson. “Collecting donations and walking for the cause did just that!”

The 212, Inc. team had participated in a walk for multiple sclerosis in April. It went so well that they decided to donate their time and participate in another charitable organization event.

“I wanted to personally get involved with Great Strides since I have a loved one with Cystic Fibrosis,” Andrea Atkinson said. “I was so excited that the team was just as enthusiastic to help!”

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About 212, Inc.
212, Inc. is a direct marketing and sales agency focused on meeting the needs of the Fortune 500 community. For more information, contact (401) 272-2600

212 Inc. “Gives Back” by Making Personal
Donations and Participating in Walk for the National MS Society

Leading direct marketing and sales agency raises moral and donations for MS Society

212 Inc., a leading outsourced sales and marketing company, announced participation in the National MS society walk in Narragansett, Rhode Island. Employees of 212 also gave personal donations to the charity.

By making these donations, 212, Inc. will help the National MS Society fulfill their various goals, which include furthering research to prevent, treat and cure MS, as well as reaching out to individuals, families and communities living with MS.

The choice was made to raise money and participate in the walk for MS when the team members of 212 realized that almost all of them know a friend or family member living with MS.

“Not only is MS a disease I personally want to help raise awareness of and do my part to help fund research, but it was also a great way for us to come together as a team,” said Andrea Atkinson, President, 212, Inc.

Andrea Atkinson has already set future gift-giving goals including participating in the Walk for CF this May and a possible charity softball game this summer.

About 212
212, Inc., is headed by Andrea Atkinson. The company specializes in direct marketing by bringing products and services directly to consumers.

We have all been in a position at one time or another when we wanted to change a habit, routine or personal discipline. Whether it be going to the gym and eating better, studying our trade at work or school, or maintaining better relationships in our lives — changing our current behavior in order to get a better result is inevitable. Here are a few pointers on how to change your behavior.

5 Ways to Change Behavior

1.Take ownership. If you don’t think you can change, you can’t. Believe in your ability to change and take ownership before getting started.

2.Be patient. Positive, lasting results take time, usually 50% to 100% longer than most people initially think.

We have all been in a position at one time or another when we wanted to change a habit, routine or personal discipline. Whether it be going to the gym and eating better, studying our trade at work or school, or maintaining better relationships in our lives — changing our current behavior in order to get a better result is inevitable. Here are a few pointers on how to change your behavior.

5 Ways to Change Behavior

1.Take ownership. If you don’t think you can change, you can’t. Believe in your ability to change and take ownership before getting started.

2.Be patient. Positive, lasting results take time, usually 50% to 100% longer than most people initially think.

1. Don’t Prepare
Not being able to answer the question “What do you know about this company?” might just end your quest for employment, at least with this employer. Background information including company history, locations, divisions, and a mission statement are available in an “About Us” section on most company web sites. Review it ahead of time, then print it out and read it over just before your interview to refresh your memory.

2. Dress Inappropriately
Dressing inappropriately can work both ways. You will certainly want to wear a suit if you are interviewing for professional position. When interviewing for a summer job at your local theme park or as a lifeguard, for example, dress accordingly in neat and casual attire. If you aren’t sure what to wear, visit the organization and watch employees coming in and out of the office to see what they are wearing.

3. Poor Communication Skills
It’s important to communicate well with everyone you meet in your search for employment. It is, however, most important to positively connect with the person who might hire you. Shake hands, make eye contact, exude confidence, engage the person you are speaking with, and you will let the interviewer know that you are an excellent candidate for this position – before you even answer an interview question.

4. Too Much Communication
Believe it or not, a recent candidate for employment, who, by the way, didn’t get the job, didn’t hesitate to answer his cell phone when it rang during an interview. Leave the phone behind or at least turn it off before you enter the building. Same goes for coffee, food and anything else other than you, your resume, your job application, and your list of references. They don’t belong at an interview.

5. Talk Too Much
There is nothing much worse than interviewing someone who goes on and on and on… The interviewer really doesn’t need to know your whole life story. Keep your answers succinct, to-the-point and focused and don’t ramble – simply answer the question.

6. Don’t Talk Enough
It’s really hard to communicate with someone who answers a question with a word or two. I remember a couple of interviews where I felt like I was pulling teeth to get any answers from the candidate. It wasn’t pleasant. So, even though you shouldn’t talk too much, you do want to be responsive and fully answer the question as best you can.

7. Fuzzy Facts
Even if you have submitted a resume when you applied for the job, you may also be asked to fill out a job application. Make sure you know the information you will need to complete an application including dates of prior employment, graduation dates, and employer contact information.

8. Give the Wrong Answer
Make sure you listen to the question and take a moment to gather your thoughts before you respond. Like the following candidate, you’ll knock yourself out of contention if you give the wrong answer.

The interviewer had completely described a sales and marketing position to the candidate. She emphasized that cold calling and prospecting were the most important skills and experiences needed for the position. The candidate responded to the question about what she did or didn’t like to do in sales, with these words: “I hate to do cold calling and prospecting, and I’m not good at it.” That response ensured that she wouldn’t get the job!

9. Badmouthing Past Employers
Your last boss was an idiot? Everyone in the company was a jerk? You hated your job and couldn’t wait to leave? Even if it’s true don’t say so. I cringed when I heard someone ranting and raving about the last company she worked for. That company happened to be our largest customer and, of course, I wasn’t going to hire someone who felt that way about the company and everyone who worked there.

It’s sometimes a smaller world than you think and you don’t know who your interviewer might know, including that boss who is an idiot… You also don’t want the interviewer to think that you might speak that way about his or her company if you leave on terms that aren’t the best.

10. Forget to Follow Up
Afraid you didn’t make the best impression? Are you sure that you aced the interviewed? Either way, be sure to follow up with a thank you note reiterating your interest in the position and the company.

Finally, even if you do flub the interview, don’t take it to heart. I don’t think there is anyone hasn’t blown an interview or two. If it happens, look at it like it just wasn’t meant to be, learn from your mistakes and move on to the next opportunity.

What do you think is the top interview mistake you can make? Take a look at more top interview mistakes and add yours to the list.

1. Don’t PrepareNot being able to answer the question “What do you know about this company?” might just end your quest for employment, at least with this employer. Background information including company history, locations, divisions, and a mission statement are available in an “About Us” section on most company web sites. Review it ahead of time, then print it out and read it over just before your interview to refresh your memory.

2. Dress InappropriatelyDressing inappropriately can work both ways. You will certainly want to wear a suit if you are interviewing for professional position. When interviewing for a summer job at your local theme park or as a lifeguard, for example, dress accordingly in neat and casual attire. If you aren’t sure what to wear, visit the organization and watch employees coming in and out of the office to see what they are wearing.

3. Poor Communication SkillsIt’s important to communicate well with everyone you meet in your search for employment. It is, however, most important to positively connect with the person who might hire you. Shake hands, make eye contact, exude confidence, engage the person you are speaking with, and you will let the interviewer know that you are an excellent candidate for this position – before you even answer an interview question.

4. Too Much CommunicationBelieve it or not, a recent candidate for employment, who, by the way, didn’t get the job, didn’t hesitate to answer his cell phone when it rang during an interview. Leave the phone behind or at least turn it off before you enter the building. Same goes for coffee, food and anything else other than you, your resume, your job application, and your list of references. They don’t belong at an interview.

5. Talk Too MuchThere is nothing much worse than interviewing someone who goes on and on and on… The interviewer really doesn’t need to know your whole life story. Keep your answers succinct, to-the-point and focused and don’t ramble – simply answer the question.

6. Don’t Talk EnoughIt’s really hard to communicate with someone who answers a question with a word or two. I remember a couple of interviews where I felt like I was pulling teeth to get any answers from the candidate. It wasn’t pleasant. So, even though you shouldn’t talk too much, you do want to be responsive and fully answer the question as best you can.

7. Fuzzy FactsEven if you have submitted a resume when you applied for the job, you may also be asked to fill out a job application. Make sure you know the information you will need to complete an application including dates of prior employment, graduation dates, and employer contact information.

8. Give the Wrong AnswerMake sure you listen to the question and take a moment to gather your thoughts before you respond. Like the following candidate, you’ll knock yourself out of contention if you give the wrong answer.

The interviewer had completely described a sales and marketing position to the candidate. She emphasized that cold calling and prospecting were the most important skills and experiences needed for the position. The candidate responded to the question about what she did or didn’t like to do in sales, with these words: “I hate to do cold calling and prospecting, and I’m not good at it.” That response ensured that she wouldn’t get the job!

9. Badmouthing Past EmployersYour last boss was an idiot? Everyone in the company was a jerk? You hated your job and couldn’t wait to leave? Even if it’s true don’t say so. I cringed when I heard someone ranting and raving about the last company she worked for. That company happened to be our largest customer and, of course, I wasn’t going to hire someone who felt that way about the company and everyone who worked there.

It’s sometimes a smaller world than you think and you don’t know who your interviewer might know, including that boss who is an idiot… You also don’t want the interviewer to think that you might speak that way about his or her company if you leave on terms that aren’t the best.

10. Forget to Follow UpAfraid you didn’t make the best impression? Are you sure that you aced the interviewed? Either way, be sure to follow up with a thank you note reiterating your interest in the position and the company.

Finally, even if you do flub the interview, don’t take it to heart. I don’t think there is anyone hasn’t blown an interview or two. If it happens, look at it like it just wasn’t meant to be, learn from your mistakes and move on to the next opportunity.

What do you think is the top interview mistake you can make? Take a look at more top interview mistakes and add yours to the list.

Flickr Photos

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212 Inc., a Massachusetts based sales and marketing firm, traveled to Miami and participated in a charity event for Operation Smile. 212 Inc., a sales and marketing firm based out of Wellesley, MA, traveled to Miami for a national client hosted conference. The weekend is an annual event geared around rewarding the country’s client vendors. In addition to d […]

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